Jimmy Kimmel Asked People to Name One Book And They All Failed Miserably

Americans don't read. Books are too tedious and you definitely can't use one to check your Instagram or Tinder account, so Americans typically avoid words printed on a page. These are simple facts. Jimmy Kimmel, ever the late night show wise-ass, decided to gauge the random pedestrian's ability to name books, and it didn't go well.

In a Kimmel Live! segment on Thursday night, passerby are asked to name a single book from memory, and it's pretty damn embarrassing. Describing it as a snapshot of the average American's literary and intellectual appetite might seem disingenuous, but according to Pew, almost 25% of the country hasn't read a book in the last year. That's bad!

In the segment, only one book is mentioned but there are several references to Dr. Seuss. Keep in mind that Dr. Seuss didn't write books for adults. One man says he's read "The Lion King," which is a Disney movie. Another says a man named "Moby Dick" wrote a book called "Horse." Another dude names The Jungle Book, which yes, is a book by Rudyard Kipling published in 1894. It's plausible the young man was thinking about the classic movie franchise, however.

Let this be a cautionary tale, America. Read a book, even if it's The Cat in The Hat.

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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Esquire. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.